Guard-rail clamp.



I Patented Dec.14,1909.

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M. BURPBE. GUARD RAIL CLAMP- APPL'ICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1908.

Y Patentef Dec. 14,1909.

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MOSES BURPEE, OF -IOULTON, MAL'NE.

GUARD-RAIL CLAM?.

sismes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Dec. ad, 19052.

Application filed September 5, 1908. Serial No. 451,852.

. ,7, 7 n* t l llo atV w om L may concern. Y

Be 1t known that I Moses BUarnn a sub- Y. 7, v ject ot the lung ofEngland, and a citizen of lCanada, residing at Houlton, county of ing tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

lily invention has for its object to provide a simple durable andefficient device for securing together two rails such as a traffic railand a guard rail associated therewith.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill be hereinafter pointed out with particularity in the claims, butfor a full understanding of my invention and of its object andadvantages reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a transverse section taken` through a traffic rail and aguard rail and a clamping device arranged in accordance with a preferredform of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig.l; Fig. 3 is a section through the rails taken at one side of theclamping device and showing a different adjustment from that in Fig. l;Fig. et is a view showing the spacing block in exploded condition; andFig. 5 is a side elevation of the iiller forming part of the spacingblock.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a trailic rail and B a guardrail. C is a yoke lying beneath and engaging with the bases of bothrails. At one end of thisyoke is a hook c which overlies the uppersurface of the base of the trafiic rail and in connection with the otherparts hereinafter described prevents the guard rail from movinglaterally in one direction or vertically. At the opposite end of theyoke is an upwardly and outwardly inclined projection c.

D is a spacing block adapted to be arranged between the rails so as tohold them separated apart from each other and at the same time interlockthem. This block is preferably made of two pieces, D, and D2, themeeting faces of the two members being formed so as to interlock witheach other and prevent relative vertical displacement after assembly. Fiis a washer or filler arranged between the two members of the spacingblock and conforming to the shape of the adjacent faces of the membersthereof. It will be seen that when the parts are assembled the washer orfiller is prevented from being displaced in the vertical directionbecause of its interlocking engagement with the parts of the spacingblock. A. dowel pin F, preferably permanently secured to one of themembers of the spacing block, projects laterally from the sides of thespacing block and enters openings c and b in the traffic rail and theguard rail respectively. By permanently securing the dowel pin to one ofthe members of the spacing block as, for example, the member D, noauxiliary fastening means need be provided for preventing the pin frombecoming displaced.

On the side of the guard rail farthest away from the traiiic rail ispreferably placed a brace G of any suitable -zonsiriu-- tion, it beingso formed, however. as to lit between the underside of the head of herail and the inclined projection c on the yoke. The brace mayconveniently be fastened in place by means of a bolt H passing throughthe brace and through the yoke. 1t will be seen that, when the parts areassembled aiid the bolt H tightened, the brace will be drawn downwardlyand at the same time inwardly, thereby forcing the guard rail toward thetratlic rail and the traflic rail into close engagement with the hook atthe opposite end of the yoke. Consequently the entire clamping deviceand the two rail members are bound into one rigid whole by means of thesingle bolt, and, as long as this bolt remains in position, there is nodanger of accidental displacement of any of the parts.

Then the guard rail has become worn by the flanges of passing wheels thewasher or filler E is removed and the guard rail is moved closer to thetraffic rail thereby compensating for the wear which has taken place.The washer or filler when removed from the spacing block is used asillustrated in Fig. 3, namely, by being placed between the end of thebrace G and the portion c of the yoke. By this means all of the partsare maintained in their proper relations with respect to each other andthe space in yoke C, between hook c and inclined projection c iscompletely filled. Since the gitudinal line as at c so that a portiontheremeeting faces of the two members of the t spacing block arepreferably shaped so as to form a V when viewed in the directionlongitudinally of the rail, the washer or filler is preferably weakenedalong the lonof c may be broken from the main portion before the washeris applied to its new use i as a filler between the brace and the yoke.Ey making the angle which the meeting faces of the two halves of thespacing block form equal to the angle which the projection c forms withthe main portion of the yoke, the weakened line on the washer or fillermay be placed at one side of the center so as to leave a hook-likeportion which underlies the lower face of the brace (lr and preventsaccidental displacement of the mutilated washer when used as indicatedin Fig. 3.

Instead of using` the adjustable spacing block illustrated it may attimes be found convenient to use a solid block. Bv leasen of thepeculiar construction of my improved adjustable block it acts to allintents and purposes as a solid block after having onee been assembledin operative relation to the g rails.

Then a train is passing over the tratc rail there is a lateral thrustagainst the head of the guard rail and ay tendency to tilt the guardrail. about the outer lower corner. This action is of course resisted bythe brace G, but also by the load upon the tratlic rail for the reasonthat a tilting action on the part of the guard rail produces an upwardthrust beneath the head of the traffic rail through the .spacing block.T he lateral component of this thrust is such that a. brace upon theoutside of the traffic rail is unnecessary, the main component of thethrust being resisted by the load.

"While I have described in detail only a single preferred embodiment ofmy invention I do not desire to be limited thereto since in its broaderaspects my invention may take various other forms as will be evidentfrom. the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constitutingthe appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention` what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In combination, a traiiic rail and a guard rail, a base memberunderlying said rails and engaging with the bases thereof, a

' receive said pin, said pin being long enough to project entirelythrough the latter member.

3. In a guard-rail clamp, a two-part space block, and a dowel pinextending through said block and projecting therefrom on opposite sidesthereof, said dowel pin being permanently secured to one of the membersof said block.

l. In combination, a trafc rail and a guard rail, a base memberunderlying said rails and engaging with the bases thereof, a jawintegral with said base member and overlying therv base of the traliicrail, an upwardlyY and outwardly inclined projection on said base memberadjacent to the outer side of the guard rail, a spacing block betweenthe rails, ar brace arranged between said inclined projection and theoutside of said guard rail and a bolt passing downwardly through saidbrace and said base member, said base member having an elongated openingthrough which said bolt passes so as to permit the brace to be adjustedtransversely of the rails.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specilication in the presence of twowitnesses.

MOSES BURPEE.

lVitnesses E. C. ALEXANDER, C. E. F. STETsoN.

